Date:	Sunday 29 March 1981
Time:	09:40
Type:	Boeing 707-329
Owner/operator:	Sobelair
Registration:	OO-SJA
MSN:	17623/78
Year of manufacture:	1959
Total airframe hrs:	64462 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney JT4A-11
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 117
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU) -   Belgium
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU/EBBR)
Destination airport:	Tenerife-Sur Reina Sofia Airport (TFS/GCTS)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Sobelair flight OO1915 took off from runway 02 at Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU), Belgium at 09:29 local time. As the airplane was climbing through an altitude of 7000 feet there was a violent explosion in the no. 3 engine. An uncontained failure had caused a fire in the engine. The first extinguishing bottle was fired, but to no avail. The fire finally went out after the second bottle was fired.
The crew returned to the airport and were cleared for an emergency approach to runway 25L. While turning onto finals, the airplane overshot the extended centreline of runway 25L. The captain then decided to land on runway 25R.
After touchdown the thrust reversers of engine no. 1 and 4 were activated and wheel brakes were used to decelerate.
The pilot was afraid that the aircraft couldn't be stopped on the runway and steered the Boeing off the left side of the runway.
The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and withdrawn from use at Brussels.

The engine failure was attributed to a fatigue failure of a fan blade of the 10th stage of the compressor.

Probable cause of the accident (translated from French):
During an emergency landing on three engines, at a weight above the maximum landing weight, the aircraft landed at a high speed and the brakes were not used properly.

Rapport d'enquete etabli suite a l'accident survenu a l'avion Boeing 707-329 immatricule OO-SJA a l'aeroport de Bruxelles National le 29 Mars 1981

photo (c) Werner Fischdick; London-Heathrow Airport (LHR); 18 August 1974

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